Good progress in research on kelp
Good progress in research on kelp
The first harvest season of the kelp project SusKelpFood is completed. Through various experiments, we work to find best processes for sustainable production that will provide safe, nutritious and tasty ingredients of kelp for the food industry.
The spring of
2022 marks the first kelp harvesting season of the SusKelpFood project. Some of
the kelp biomass harvested from the four Norwegian kelp producers in the project
(Arctic Seaweed, Tango Seaweed, Lofoten Blue Harvest and Ocean Forest) was used
in various research experiments.
How to reduce iodine levels
One of the trials conducted this spring focused on rinsing of winged kelp (Alaria esculenta) and sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) with heated seawater. The main objective was to reduce the iodine content in the kelp. While blanching in freshwater is a known efficient technique for this, it is also associated with a loss of soluble nutrients such as minerals. The use of seawater is far more promising with respect to retention of minerals and will be investigated in SusKelpFood. In this experiment, exposure to heated seawater (35 and 45 °C) were tested in time series using winged kelp from Arctic Seaweed and sugar kelp from Tango Seaweed.Finding best processing for different kelp species
The optimal processing conditions for each species will be identified based on the iodine content measured in the samples as well as the retention of nutrients of interests in these kelps (minerals and vitamins) and flavour-active compounds.Two fermentation
trials were also conducted during this season to i) optimize the process
conditions for the fermentation of winged kelp at Arctic Seaweed and to ii)
investigate the potential of marine lactic acid bacteria isolated from sugar
kelp (referred to as “kelp juice”) to be used as start culture for the
fermentation of freshly harvested biomass. Quality analyses of the samples
including microbial safety and product stability are ongoing.
Testing for allergens
Other activities in connection with the harvesting season includes the collection of cultivated winged kelp and sugar kelp across biomass producers to be analysed for the presence of typical allergens from molluscs, crustaceans and fish (linked to the potential presence of biofouling organisms in cultivated kelps) and assess the potential health risks associated with the consumption of kelp with regards to these compounds.Commercial samples of winged kelp, dried and fermented material, were also collected to investigate the stability of these products in terms of sensory attributes (flavour and odour) over a 2-years period and to document the changes in flavour-active compounds.
Project partners:
NOFIMA
Ocean Forest
